Monday, May 26, 2014

I hope everyone - at least those of you who reside in the US - had an enjoyable Memorial Day, and found a way to say "thank you" to someone for their service.

We are finally getting Spring here in Minnesota so outdoor chores trumped game projects this weekend. I made a tiny bit of progress on the Forest Edge Strips. . . but I promised not to bother you again until they were completed. They're not, so I'll improvise a bit.I had a birthday last week. Sort of a milestone. . . 55. My celebration plan was to leave work early enough to have dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon at some "fine eatery" that catered to "early bird specials" for the "senior set." But it was raining - hard - and the rain kinda makes my joints ache, and it just seemed like a lot of effort, after all. . . so I bagged it. Seems rather appropriate, now that I think about it.Still improvising, here's a recent photo of Jack.

He's two years old now. Compare his size relative to my hands in this post to see how he's grown.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

OK, here's a look at some of the final products. I added some "grass tufts" to help integrate the plastic foliage with the natural, and to provide a visual transition with the grass on the terrain squares.

I won't bother you with any more progress updates on the Strips until they're completed, at which point I hope to be able to share some pics of them in use in actual games.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Yup. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs."That's hardly a new book," I hear you say.OK, A Princess of Mars was originally published in 1917, so the story is not new, but this book featuring illustrations by Michael Kaluta IS new. And handsome.

Frank Frazetta's Barsoom will always have a special place in my heart, as his illustrations in the Science Fiction Book Club editions provided my first "fevered" glimpse into the world of Burroughs' alternate-Mars. Even so, I found this new Kaluta edition a great way to re-experience the first - and arguably the best - of the "John Carter of Mars" novels.There are some "marginal" - IMNSHO - re-hashings of Burroughs' Martian stories publishing now. John Carter's love interest, the "incomparable" Dejah Thoris, in particular, has been re-invented - though not "re-clothed," I note - for a new audience. I am not against updating per se, but I recommend instead this fine new presentation of the original "story that started them all." Enjoy.